Healthy Tea will make you feel great

Drinking yerba mate is a healthy way to boost your energy levels and stay healthy - with high levels of antioxidants, healthy alkeloids, low levels of caffeine, yerba mate is a great way to reduce your cafeine levels without having to compromise alertness.

Can I really loose weight by drinking this healthy green tea?
In lab studies, ilex paraguensis the yerba mate tea plant has been shown to lessen the tendency towards obesity in mice induced by a high-fat diet. Mate has had a long history of use as a diet suppressant however one thing is for certain most yerba mate drinkers do not add sugars and it does have a noticeable presence in the belly likely reducing hunger for longer periods due to the body not having the jitters afterwards which induces hunger in other caffeinated hot drinks.

Yerba mate is now becoming recognised as an important contributor to fighting hearth disese and lowering cholesterol.

Source: Wikipedia

If you re looking for a new source of healthy perk in the mornings or for thse late afternoon duldrums - yerba mate is the perfect choice.

Sponsored Link:
Want to try a free sample of yerba mate? Redem your voucher from La Pachamama

Share this with your friends on Facebook

Gift Ideas for Tea Lovers

Premium Herbal Green Tea Gift sets

The culture of tea drinking is a favourite past time to thousands of New Zealanders cross all cultures. The Latin American tea culture is fast becoming popular with many boutique tea shops and cafes providing this alternative tea throughout New Zealand and the world.

Good quality organic yerba mate (how the tea is called) has been sold throughout New Zealnd since 2006. As it has gained in popularity more and more people are taking up the tea party appeal of its traditional use. (See this blog to learn how to prepare this healthy tea in the traditional way).
My first mate was a gift. I've received a few in fact - each one special in its own way. Giving a mate to a friend or a member of the family encourages a healthy habit that can also be fun to share.

Yerba mate is loaded with healthy properties and drunk the traditional way is a wonderful way to bond with others. As well as being a personal treasure, the mate is most famous for the quality of sharing. When passing the gourd between companions you are repeating what south american cultures have been doing for centuries. Gift sets contain the gourd (mate), bombill (straw), yerba mate (health tea) all you need to begin the benefits of its consumption. Loose weight by improving digestive system performance, raise energy levels, general wellbeing and alertness. The perfect gift to give.

Give a taste of South America and a healthy new habit

To add a personal touch  choosing a special gourd that is right for the occasion is a natural expression of respect and admiration.


Sponsored Link:
Yerba Mate Gift Packs available here.

Share this with your friends on Facebook

Becoming a Yerba Mate Connoisseur

What blend is the right blend for you?

Yerba mate not only comes in lots of different brands but also in different types depending on several factors including the length of time the leaves are left to dry, if it contaains stick or powder, if it has flavour added, and of course whether it is organic, sweetened, smoked . The list goes on.

You will notice that New Zealand yerba is generally non-smoked and falls into the following categories:
    * With/without stick (con/sin palo)
    * Polvo (very finely chopped)
    * Aged (añejada)

Stick
With stick the flavour is often improved partly because it dilutes the strength of the leaf and makes the brew smoother to drink. But also because the stems of the plant retain important natural compounds that not only improve health but also taste good. Kraus Silvestre is a good example of a smooth yerba. Silvestre is infused with peppermint and other herbs from South America. It is a good choice for regular tea breaks throughout the day.

Polvo
Polvo blends require greater care during tea preparation as the infusion can be quite difficult to suck through the straw if not carefully brewed. Polvo is not recomended for first time drinkers as it can taste dusty. Canarias is a popular brand in this category.

Aged
A third category discussed here is the aged variety - often these are the best quality part of the plant and are slow dried to retain higher proportions of the goodness of yerba mate. Brands such as Ecoteas and Kraus that have leaf only mixtures (sin polvo, sin palo) are ideal for use in a tea pot or strainer. Kraus Gaucho (Red Label) is a good choice for a strong tea infusion that will give your day the boost it needs.

As well as yerba types there are also different ways of preparing and consuming yerba mate. Some with a tea pot, or a tea bag, and others traditionally with a mate and bombilla. Check out this post on traditional preparation.

Sponsored Link
Take a look at this selection of yerba mate and make the switch to a healthier caffeine alternative

Share this with your friends on Facebook

Looking after your gourd (mate)

The mate is a fantastic gift idea. However, receiving one brings with it responsibilities.

These instructions will help you to maintain your gourd in good condition. However, first things first... Make sure your gourd has already been cured (for instructions on curing mates click here).

Tips for first-timers
When you receive a mate from a friend or family member it is important to know some things about your gourd. If you have a hardwood gourd you will need to be especially carefull with temperature. If you have a pumpkin gourd you will need to polish it to keep it looking attractive. All you really need to know is that too hot could break your mate!
The first time you are going to use your gourd (after curing), pour tap water first and let it sit for a few minutes, this will help to condition the mate for use.

Tips for Infrequent use

If you are only an occasional drinker (2 weeks or more) remember to empty the spent/tasteless yerba and give it a good clean after use. Wash and pour every once and again some tap water with a tea spoon of yerba to keep the wood of the gourd hydrated.
NEVER USE BOILING WATER when drinking yerba mate. Water temperature should be at around 70-80 C depending on your own preferences.

On-going Care

Use titri oil or similar organic natural oils to keep your mate looking attractive and if you have alpaca or silver plating be sure to keep it from oxidising with appropriate and safe chemical cleaning solutions. Remember you need to drink tea from the gourd so the gourd must be cleaned using dry towling.

Sponsored Content
Thinking about buying a mate gift set for somebody special? Visit La Pachamama to see our range.

Share this with your friends on Facebook

Curing your mate (gourd)

An importaant step to enjoying many years of good mates

The purpose of “curing” a gourd is to prevent it from breakage when pouring the hot water during use. Wood expands with water and the process of curing makes the wood strong enough to hold hoter temperatures.

How to cure a gourd?

1. Put one or two spoons of (wet or dry) yerba mate in your gourd and fill (to the top) with warm water from the tap (not hot) leave it overnight
2. The next day drain the water (do not throw the yerba mate out) add another tea spoon of yerba mate and fill the gourd with hot water from the tap. Leave it for the rest of the day.
3. At night (or the next morning) heat water in your kettle (turn it off 1-2 minutes before boiling) and add the water to the gourd, leave it for a day. After this you can wash it with water and it is ready to use!

If you have a nice pumkin or leather gourd, we recommend that once a year you need to spend a few minutes to keep your gourd nice and shinny. Apply some oil to the outside to nourish the pumpkin/wood. View our blog on mate care for more


Remember that throughout the life of your mate you must be careful of the temperature of the water that you put in it. If it is too hot to drink, then it is probably too hot for the mate as well!!!

Also drinking mate too hot has been linked to health problems, so it pays to develop some skill getting the temperature as close to perfect as possible (we like it at 80 degrees celcius).

Sponsored Link
La Pachamama have a wide range of basic to exotic mates and gift packs

Share this with your friends on Facebook

Yerba Mate Traditional Preparation

You need to know how to prepare a good mate to fully enjoy the experience.

Although Yerba Mate can be brewed in a tea pot, yerba mate can also be prepared the traditional way. A more flavoursome experience whereby the process extracts the maximum benefit from its strong medicinal and therapeutic properties. For best mate results, we recommend the following steps to ensure your mate is prepared in the best tasting way. 


Detailed instructions:

Mate cebado

1) Fill a gourd 2/3 full with yerba. Tilt the gourd until the yerba is along a side of the gourd near the top.
2) Insert the filter end of the straw on an angle into the deepest part of the yerba.
3) Pour hot water (never boiled) onto the base of the yerba, then sip from the straw.
4) Drink down the entire infusion until it is finished. Then pass it back to the person who will pour more water in.
5) Repeat the procedure until the yerba has lost its taste.

Note:

• Avoid adding so much water that it reaches the top of the yerba mate. It is a tea - not a soup!
• The water should be hot but never boiled. Keep your hot water in a thermos.

The first sip is very strong and sometimes described as dusty, some even discard the first sip by spitting it out as an offer to La Pachamama (the God of the earth)!

The importance of etiquette is secondary to the preparation of a quality good tasting tea.

Sponsored Link
If you would like to get a kit with all of the items needed for traditional yerba mate These gift packs could be just what you need

Share this with your friends on Facebook